McCain slams Obama on leaks, defense cuts, leading from behind

posted at 9:31 pm on August 29, 2012 by Mary Katharine Ham

The atmosphere was decidedly more low-key than the packed RNC opening night when the party’s 2008 nominee took the stage early Wednesday to take on the President’s foreign policy.

McCain opened with a characteristically self-deprecating nod to his ’08 loss:

It’s an honor, as always, my fellow Republicans, to join you at our national convention, and add my voice to yours as we nominate the next president of the United States, my friend, Governor Mitt Romney.

I had hopes once of addressing you under different circumstances. But our fellow Americans had another plan four years ago, and I accept their decision.

I’ve been blessed for so long to play a role in our nation’s affairs that I’m conscious only of the debt I owe America, and I thank you for the honor.

He proceeded to give a vigorous defense of American influence and take on Obama in the most specific terms we’ve seen from a podium speaker, hitting him on national security leaks, defense cuts, and “leading from behind” all over the world.

Unfortunately, for four years, we’ve drifted away from our proudest traditions of global leadership – traditions that are truly bipartisan. We’ve let the challenges we face, both at home and abroad, become harder to solve.

We can’t afford to stay on that course any longer.

We can’t afford to cause our friends and allies – from Latin America to Asia, Europe to the Middle East, and especially in Israel, a nation under existential threat – to doubt America’s leadership.

We can’t afford to give governments in Russia and China a veto over how we defend our interests and the progress of our values in the world.

We can’t afford to have the security of our nation and those who bravely defend it endangered because their government leaks the secrets of their heroic operations to the media.

I believe we can’t afford to substitute a political timetable for a military strategy.

By committing to withdraw from Afghanistan before peace can be achieved and sustained, the president has discouraged our friends and emboldened our enemies, which is why our commanders did not recommend that decision and why they have said it puts our mission at greater risk.

We can’t afford another $500 billion in cuts to our defense budget – on top of the nearly $500 billion in cuts that the president is already making. His own secretary of defense has said that cutting our military by nearly $1 trillion would be “devastating.”

And yet, the president is playing no leadership role in preventing this crippling blow to our military.

A wise congressman from Wisconsin has said, “Our fiscal policy and our foreign policy are on a collision course.” And that man is our next vice president, Paul Ryan.

But most of all, we can’t afford to abandon the cause of human freedom. When long-suffering peoples demand liberation from their jailers and torturers and tyrants, the leader of the free world must stand with them.

The line about national security leaks was his biggest applause line.

McCain also criticized Obama for inaction during uprisings in Iran and Syria, saying “the demand for our leadership in the world has never been greater. People don’t want less of America. They want more. Everywhere I go in the world, people tell me they still have faith in America.”

After McCain’s speech I put on MSDNC and they were ‘freaking out.’ They are blathering on about never ending war, Muslims, Neo-Cons, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, I love it when liberals say they are for ‘human rights.’ Obviously they are full of sh!t since they could are less about Syrians being massacred right now. So there you go, libtards outed themselves again for their totalitarian tendencies.

Anybody watched msndc? How many times did they make the akin connection…or coming next…

jimver on August 29, 2012 at 9:55 PM

I only watch MSNBC when the Republicans have a huge victory. The last time was Walker’s victory in Wisconsin, and it was hilarious. If we win in November, that’s the only other time I’ll consider flipping over the BSNBC.

I have this theory that the campaign had to pick Huckabee or Palin to pander to that certain part of the the constituents and decided that Huckabee was the better choice. Until Todd Akin. I’m making this up but it’s still funny to think about.

Condi: Too bad we don’t have the resources to intervene in Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Southeast Asia too. I bet those weren’t even on your radar!

… is it really wise to go at Obama on foreign policy, especially with a person whose name is virtually synonymous with W’s foreign policy? Yes, Obama has made a mess of Egypt, dithered on Iran, and cowered before Putin. But he is also sitting on a pile of al-Qaeda scalps, not least of all bin Laden’s, so I’m not sure how wise it is to engage him this issue. And its doubly unwise to have Rice deliver this criticism. If you asked Americans whose foreign policy they preferred, W or Obama, Obama would win in a landslide. So perhaps we should get a different messenger besides Rice (or McCain for that matter) if we’re going to attack O’s foreign policy.

It has got to be tough on her. She loves this country and she knows what the left will say about her. She nor any other minority that has risen to there status above being lap dogs for democrats deserve the treatment from the left. They should not hold their heads low but be proud of what they have done in theirelives. The left envies their success and fears the example.

And its doubly unwise to have Rice deliver this criticism. If you asked Americans whose foreign policy they preferred, W or Obama, Obama would win in a landslide. So perhaps we should get a different messenger besides Rice (or McCain for that matter) if we’re going to attack O’s foreign policy.

Lawdawg86 on August 29, 2012 at 10:07 PM

*laughs butt off* Which crack pipe are you smoking? I think I lost count of the number of people who have told me “If I only knew now what I should have known four years ago….”

I have this theory that the campaign had to pick Huckabee or Palin to pander to that certain part of the the constituents and decided that Huckabee was the better choice. Until Todd Akin. I’m making this up but it’s still funny to think about.

Cindy Munford on August 29, 2012 at 10:07 PM

I never saw anything here on it, but I found a clip from Levin’s radio show where he was talking to Priebus.

Levin asked him three times whether Palin was offered a speaking slot. Three times Priebus answered in the affirmative.

(I researched it no further, because I didn’t care that much one way or the other. I would have offered her a speech. I’ve mentioned this Levin thing here several times, though I’m not sure if anyone ever replied.)

An OK speech by Condi, IMHO. Big on foreign policy which just isn’t high up there on my priority list this go around. She delivered it well, though, and the crowd ate it up, so I guess you could call it a success.

John, Commander McCain, take the paraphrased and edited advice from Douglas McArthur and realize “Old Soldiers Never Die They Just Move On; that also applies to a Flag Ship commander, who goes down with the sea. Please really really retire. You beclown yourself Sir.